In 1977 America changed its health advice. In a nutshell (or, more likely, an ADA approved Mars bar): Eat more starchy foods, eat more carbohydrates, saturated fats are bad. If that sounds [...]]]> I cannot believe I’m about to link to the Huffington Post, but this article really gets to the meat of the so-called obesity epidemic.

In 1977 America changed its health advice. In a nutshell (or, more likely, an ADA approved Mars bar): Eat more starchy foods, eat more carbohydrates, saturated fats are bad. If that sounds like pretty good advice to you, then you don’t know enough about what you are putting into your mouth.

Your grandparents were raised in a generation aware that God’s supermarket was better than man’s. Saturated fat was a vital part of their diet. For them, obesity was not a common health problem. They were not suffering malnutrition in the fat soluble vitamins (A, D, E and K). Remarkably, you, dear Western reader, probably are.

The 2010 Dietary recommendations are very much simply “meet the new boss, same as the old boss.” It is total insanity.

I think the biggest danger out there is the foods with a health halo – too many people, even supposedly smart Whole Foods shoppers – fall for the idea that processed foods, if it fits their particular orthorexia, are healthy. Evaporated cane juice and agave nectar are *still* sugar. You might as well feed your kids HFCS for all the difference it makes. Most fat-reduced dairy products are full of additives that, let’s face it, you don’t even KNOW WHAT THEY ARE! But if Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods is selling it, you trust them that is must be OK.

Don’t even get me started on the gluten-free junk food revolution. It’s going to be the next giant money maker for the processed food industry.

I think I need one of those “bang head here” signs on the wall today.

WellPoint Inc., a for-profit insurer whose business is composed largely of Blue plans that it has acquired, oppose the exemption for nonprofits from the new tax. The company says the exemption would unfairly tax some states, such as [...]]]> I’m so delighted to see that our new Democrat Senators are looking out for the folks back home:

WellPoint Inc., a for-profit insurer whose business is composed largely of Blue plans that it has acquired, oppose the exemption for nonprofits from the new tax. The company says the exemption would unfairly tax some states, such as Virginia, where primarily for-profit plans operate.

“We’ve talked to the states where there are a high proportion of for-profit plans to let them know this is a tax on those states,” said Brad Fluegel, WellPoint’s chief of strategy. “Just because they are not-for-profit doesn’t mean they don’t make money,” he said of the nonprofits, citing income that goes toward administrative expenses and overhead.

So, I guess I now get to pay YET MORE for health insurance? AWESOME! I love when the government tries to solve problems!